Proverbs 7 · The Lantern

Mi sone, kepe thou my wordis; and kepe myn heestis to thee. Sone, onoure thou the Lord, and thou schalt be `myyti; but outakun hym drede thou not an alien.

Kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue; and my lawe as the appil of thin iyen.

Bynde thou it in thi fyngris; write thou it in the tablis of thin herte.

Seie thou to wisdom, Thou art my sistir; and clepe thou prudence thi frendesse.

That it kepe thee fro a straunge womman; and fro an alien womman, that makith hir wordis swete.

For whi fro the wyndow of myn hous bi the latijs Y bihelde; and Y se litle children.

I biholde a yong man coward,

that passith bi the stretis, bisidis the corner; and he

goith niy the weie of hir hous in derk tyme, whanne the dai drawith to niyt, in the derknessis and myst of the nyyt.

And lo! a womman, maad redi with ournement of an hoore to disseyue soulis, meetith hym, and sche is a ianglere, and goynge about,

With a provocative movement of a prostitute, with a disrupted gait through delights, with wandering eyes, and with playful darting of her eyelids, she captures the precious souls of young men (for the eye of a prostitute is a snare of a sinner), and with doubtful perception, she accosts anyone passing by in the corner of her house, with charming words, causing the hearts of you…

And behold, a woman meets him in the attire of a harlot, etc. These all clearly relate to the literal sense of harlotry; however, heretical doctrine attempts to deceive anyone it finds careless and foolish. It indeed appears in harlot's attire, because it shines with unclean eloquence. It is prepared to capture souls, for it spiritually kills whomever it can associate with it.

and vnpacient of reste, and mai not stonde in the hous with hir feet;

and now without forth, now in stretis, now bisidis corneris sche `aspieth.

And sche takith, and kissith the yong man; and flaterith with wowynge cheer, and seith, Y ouyte sacrifices for heelthe;

to dai Y haue yolde my vowis.

Therfor Y yede out in to thi meetyng, and Y desiride to se thee; and Y haue founde thee.

Y haue maad my bed with coordis, Y haue arayed with tapetis peyntid of Egipt;

Y haue bispreynt my bed with myrre, and aloes, and canel.

Come thou, be we fillid with tetis, and vse we collyngis that ben coueitid; til the dai bigynne to be cleer.

For myn hosebonde is not in his hows; he is goon a ful long weie.

He took with hym a bagge of money; he schal turne ayen in to his hous in the dai of ful moone.

Sche boonde hym with many wordis; and sche drow forth hym with flateryngis of lippis.

Anoon he as an oxe led to slayn sacrifice sueth hir, and as a ioli lomb and vnkunnynge; and the fool woot not, that he is drawun to bondys,

til an arowe perse his mawe. As if a brid hastith to the snare; and woot not, that it is don of the perel of his lijf.

Now therfor, my sone, here thou me; and perseyue the wordis of my mouth.

Lest thi soule be drawun awei in the weies of hir; nether be thou disseyued in the pathis of hir.

For sche castide doun many woundid men; and alle strongeste men weren slayn of hir.

The weies of helle is hir hous; and persen in to ynnere thingis of deeth.

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